Improvement in corsets



lJ'NiTnn STATES PATENT Ormea.

SMITH COLLINS, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN CORSETS.

Specification forming partI of Letters Patent No. 412,460, dated April26,1864.

To all whom it may 00K cern.;

Be it known that I, SMITH GoLLINs, of the city and count-y of New Haven,and State of Connecticut, have invented new and useful Improvements inCorsets; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the same, when taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, in which-Figure l is a perspective view of a complete pair of corsets; Figs. 2,3, and 4, sectional views of the busk, to more fully illustrate myinvention.

Same letters refer to like parts.

The usual manner of attaching busks or busk-clasps is to insert theinfrom the edge and between the two thicknesses of which the corset ismade, and close the two parts over the busk and stitch the edge. It isimpossible to make anicely-inished edge in this manner; and,further,whenever it is necessary to remove the busk-as for renewing ortosend to the laundry-this stitched edge must be ripped, which necessarilyinjures the edge more or less, until from frequent ripping andrestitching the edge of the corset is entirely destroyed long beforeother portions of the corset are worn.

Another trouble to wearers of corsets arises from the fact that howevermuch careis taken in applying the corsets they will wrinkle more or lessbetween what are termed the breast77 and hip7 stays-that is, the stayrunnin g from the hip up to the armpit, and that next in front andnearly parallel to the rst.

Long experience in the manufacture of corsets has made me familiar withthese troubles, and they have suggested the improvements hereindescribed, whereby I have been enabled to produce corsets which entirelyovercome these troubles.

My invention relates only to such corsets as are cut and made from twoor more thicknesses of fabrics; and it consists- First. In folding theouter thickness over the busk inward and stitching the same down back ofthe busk on one side, and on the other side providing for a lappet bystitching a separate piece of fabric to the edge of the corset by two ormore rows of stitching on a lappet thus formed, and folding the saidpiece over the busk and stitching the same down back of the busk in likemanner as when the fold is made from the outer thickness of the corset,for the purpose of producing a linished edge to the corset, and so thatwhen it is desired to remove the busk the fold which holds the busk mayberipped from the back edge of said busk, and so preserve the edge ofthe corset in its original perfection.

Second. In placing a diagonal stay running from the armpit or top of thehip-stay down to or near the lower end of the breast-stay. This new andadditional stay serves to prevent any inclination to wrinkle, and alsoforms an important stay to support the breast, and adds much to theperfection of the form of the wearer.

To enable others skilled in the art to make my improved corsets, I willproceed to describe my manner of so doing.

In the manufacture of my corsets I place one of the busks close to theedge and set the other a little back, so as to form a lappet or ily, A,Figs. 1,2, 3. I cut one of the thicknesses of which the corset iscomposed (the outer) enough wider than the other (the inner) to givesufcient material to fold back and over the busk, as in Figs. 2 and 4.To make the lappet or fly A, I stitch at a and b, then insert the buskc, then stitch down the fold overit at d. The other, as in Fig. 4, Iinsert the busk o, fold the outer thickness over and stitch it down ate. By this operation I form a perfect edge, and when desired to removethe busks I rip only the seams d and e. When the busk isreplaced,restitch as before. Thus it will be seen the edge is neverinterfered with, and the ripping does not add to the wear of the edge,to destroy that part of the corset before other parts are worn. A verygood edge may be made by stitching to the edge of the corset a separatepiece of fabric, as shown in Fig. 3, by seams a and b, and afterinserting the busk stitch down at d, the same asin Fig. 2. This wouldanswer where the lappet or fly was formed; but if there were to be nofly it would not accomplish the object.

In Fig. 1,13 represents the hip-stay; C, the breast-stay. I insert anadditional stay, I),

running from or near the top of the hip-stay B to or near the bottom ofthe breast-stay C, to prevent the corset from wrinklin g between thestays B and C, and to better support the breast and give amore perfectform to the figure.

It will be seen that the stay D in my corset begins at the top of thecorset under the arm, back of the upper gore, and, running diagonallydown, terminates front of the lower gore. This affords a support for thebreast 'which has heretofore been imperfectly given by stays in thegores, as in the woven corsets, and in which, also, my single stay Dserves the same purpose of several stays in the woven corset, and at thesame time places the support where it is required; and, further, thewoven corsets cannot be made with my diagonal stay D, on account ofcrossing the Warp between the ..gores.

folding over the whole thickness ofthe fabric and stitching down back ofthe busk, which forms a thick, clumsy, and objectionable edge, ThereforeI do not broadly claim folding the entire fabric of the corset over thebusk for the purpose of inclosing the same. Neither do I broadly claim alappet or iiy but What I do claim as new and useful7 and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

A corset having the. diagonal stays l) arranged relatively to the staysB C, and the busks c c inserted and secured in the manner described, andfor the purpose specified.

SMITH COLLINS. Witnesses RUFUs SANFORD, J oHN E. EARLE.

